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View Full Version : Southern Co & Northern NM in July or Aug



Steve Petersen
06-15-2009, 01:41 PM
I am planning a trip to southern Colorado and northern New Mexico sometime in late July or August. I will be out there for about two weeks. I will be looking for places to shoot wildlife and landscapes. I am from southwest Florida and will be driving an off-road vehicle. I am not afraid of leaving the pavement, in fact, I prefer it. I am prepared to sleep in the field when necessary. I passed through this area two years ago while driving home from Moab. I really like the way the desert meets the mountains. I am also a fly fisherman and would appreciate any advise in that direction. Wet-wading small creeks with dry flys is at the top of my list.

Thanks in advance,
Steve Petersen
http://www.hellsbay9.smugmug.com

Trey Barron
06-24-2009, 08:35 PM
You can look at the Valley Vidal in NM it is a neat area (fishing and wildlife and landscape), Chama NM (can be lots of wildlife and fishing if water is good), Conejos river in CO (can be great fishing and potential landscapes). If you have any specific targets I can try to help more. There is lots of good fishing in the area, and photo potential all over.

Steve Petersen
06-25-2009, 03:21 PM
Thanks Trey. Chama is one of the places I want to check out. I will google your suggestions.

david cramer
06-30-2009, 08:56 PM
I can help with New Mexico suggestions. You can find wild horses in the Jicarilla, west of Dulce. A little farther west of that are some great landscape opportunities at Shiprock and the Bisti Bandlands, both around Farmington. Check out this page (http://highdesertangler.blogspot.com/) for fly fishing info. The east fork of the Jemez River is very scenic and good for fishing. Not far from Jemez is the Valle Caldera (wildlife and landscapes) and Bandelier (landscapes).

It may be a little early for wildflowers in Southwestern Colorado, but Yankee Boy Basin and Maroon Bell are beautiful areas... heck, everything along Hwy 550 is breathtaking.

Roger Clark
07-03-2009, 10:18 PM
Steve,
Have you visited Durango to Ouray, and Telluride areas? Unfortunately, late July into August is post wildflower peak (usually mid July), but the San Juan Mountains would have plenty of scenics. Also check out Lake City region.

Steve Petersen
07-04-2009, 10:23 PM
Thanks Roger. Two years ago I traveled the Alpine Loop from Ouray to Lake City. Very cool! I hope to make it back to that area this summer.

Michael Lloyd
07-06-2009, 09:35 PM
Don't forget to look up the Cumbres and Toltec steam locomotive in Chama.

I don't know what your initial route is going to be but if you enter NM from the top (north side) try to plan your stop for the night in Clayton, NM. Clayton isn't much but the Best Western Kokopelli Lodge is one of my favorite little hotels and I stay in hotels a lot (in one now). It's hard to explain... but it feels good to be there. If you stop there I'm betting that you will feel it. Also- the sun is at your back when you leave the next morning for Raton on 64. The Capulin National Cinder Cone is pretty cool to see and is a little over 1/2 way to Raton. Just outside of Clayton you can see the remnants of an old wagon trail (forget which one.). There are always antelope close to the road. Out of Raton, turn south on I-25. Not too far to the south you'll be able to get back on 64 and wind your way to Eagles Nest and then on to Taos. Or you could turn south SR 434 to Angelfire to Guadalpita, Mora, Le Doux oe Buena Vista (your choice), Sapello, and Las Vegas. There you are stuck with I25 back to Santa Fe where you can pick up 84 north to Abiquiu, Cibolo, Tierra Amarilla, and Chama. Go north out of Chama on SR17. Look for the sign for for FDR 250 to Platoro in the Rio Grande National Forest (left turn). The road is rough and it's long so you'll want to start in the morning. I did it in the evening and ended up getting down the other side at 2am. I kind of enjoyed being in a Wilderness area (with everyone else, I was there 4th of July last year) so I took "other roads" and ended up popping out near South Fork, CO which is the "gateway" to Creede. Creede has a mine that you can tour. I don't think it's working anymore. If I remember right they house the town government offices there too as well as a museum. I'm a big fan of the Aztec National monument in Aztec,NM, NM. I also love Chaco Canyon. Chaco is believed to be a solar / lunar aligned place of worship so if your lucky enough to get there when the moon is setting you might get a "moon in the window" shot.

If I were me I would bust it on over to Utah from there and blow off going back home :D

one last thing... I have used GPS's since they were available for consumers. I have laptop software. Handheld devices. Etc. The best thing going right now is the Garmin Nuvii. I use their little bean bag mount on my dash and it is great. It has a great database (need to use the free web update when you buy it though). It predicts arrival time very well. Has FM traffic alert built in (Free at first, then subscription). It's the best I've used...

Steve Petersen
07-07-2009, 11:23 AM
Thanks Michael for all the info. I am definitely going to Chama and will try to fit in some of the other places you mentioned. Utah is on my list.